Am I being paranoid about this ad?

1
I saw a position on Craigslist that I would like to apply for. However, they asked to fax resume and copy of your license. Being that this is just a random ad on Craigslist and I have no idea of the name of the organization. Would this be OK? I'm worried about identity theft. I've read not to put my license # on my resume for that reason so I'm hesitant to fax my license to an unknown place.

I've come across similar ads as well. One of things I do is google their fax number and see what comes up. Most of the times it'll be linked to someone and you know who you're applying to. If you do that and nothing comes up, I wouldn't do it.

Your license is a matter of public record so if you include your full name and state of licensure they can get the number. In the past I've sent a screen shot/printout of the verification from the BoN or Nursys.

If you write VOID across the copy of your license before you fax it, then you should be okay. But most places won't ask for a copy of your license anymore because it's really not necessary. License numbers and the status of your license are available to the public on the BON website- all the seeker needs is your name. It's really okay to put your license number on an application, because HR can just look it up online anyway.

But if faxing a copy of your license makes you uncomfortable, just send your resume. But keep in mind that someone who is trying to steal your identity will get plenty of information from your resume anyway. (Name, address, email address, relative age, previous employers, etc.). You should never share personal information over the internet unless you are sending it via a secure site and you know who you are sending it to.

The employment department in my state allows a person to post their resume in their database and to withhold identifying information from prospective employers. There is a way to send blind resumes to prospective employers, but I just choose to not deal with those that I can not identify. A creepy guy advertises regularly on craigslist in my area and someone discussed his 'out there' behavior. Apparently he does not do anything bad enough to discourage craigslist from accepting his ads. You do need to be mindful of your own safety.